When I was as a child, I had a tendency to worry. If I became unsettled about anything, I would run to Mother who unreservedly gave me the assurances I needed. I can’t tell you the number of times she said, “Don’t worry about that. I will take care of it.” Or, “You’re wasting your time worrying about something you can’t control.” I bet you’ve heard these pearls of wisdom and have passed them along to your own kids.

Photo Courtesy @ flickr.com by Molly

Who will reassure us when our parents are gone? As I’ve matured in my faith in God, I understand that I can put my full faith and trust in God. However, I still catch myself worrying about things when I know cognitively that God already has a plan to take care of it!

Why do we lapse into worrying when we should know better?! God provides the answer through His own pearls of wisdom found in the Bible:

Pearl #1:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

Whenever we’re tempted to fret, we should bring it to the Lord by prayer and petition. God commands us to bring “everything” to Him through prayer and ask for His help. God is saying, “Don’t worry about it. If you’ll let me deal with it, I’ll take care of it and give you peace while I work on it.” When I catch myself worrying, I realize I haven’t bathed it in prayer. Worrying is our first clue that we haven’t trusted God with our concerns yet.

God’s command to “not be anxious about anything” comes with a gift that only comes from Him. He tells us that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And by the way, this peace is not something our finite minds will ever understand. Can you picture God’s peace as an impenetrable gate around your heart and mind so worry can’t get in?

I remember visiting Dad in his hospital room the night before his surgery to amputate his remaining leg. Before I prayed with him, I asked him how he was feeling to see if there were specific things I could bring before God. Without hesitation Dad said, “I’m so at peace that I feel nonplussed. It’s as if it’s not even happening.” Wow! The Lord’s peace was guarding his heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Dad knew he didn’t have to worry about this surgery because his trust in God never wavered.

I remember having outpatient surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. It was the first surgery I faced. I had heard people share positive stories about their own surgeries, as well as the horror stories of things that went wrong. I remember praying that the Lord would give me His peace, and I had no trouble sleeping the night before. I had no anxiety while nurses prepped me for surgery, and all went well. God’s peace permeated my heart and mind, and He wants to do that for anyone who wants His peace instead of worry.

Question: So why do we, especially as Christians, lapse into worrying when we should know better than that?

Answer #1: When we don’t’ turn over our worries to God in prayer, we miss out on His peace.

Pearl #2:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt 6:25-33)

Jesus presents why we shouldn’t worry. Birds of the air do not “sow or reap or store away in barns,” yet He feeds them. We, on the other hand, have food stored in freezers, fridges and pantries. When we get low on food, we run to the grocery store. None of us wake up worrying about whether there will be food on the table. Imagine a bird waking up wondering where it will find a fresh worm to feed their chicks. If God doesn’t fail birds, who count on His provision daily, why would we worry over God’s ability to take care of us? His message is, “You don’t need to worry about these things. I will take care of them.”

Photo Courtesy @ flicker.com by Ian Thomas

He also reminds us that He expects pagans to worry about these kinds of things, but not His children. He says, “Your heavenly Father already knows what you need.” He invites us to quit worrying because our life is more than “what we eat, where we sleep, and what we wear.”

Photo Courtesy @flickr.com by Alon

A missionary from Africa came to the states on furlough. During that time, he met with different congregations to share how God was moving there. One of the parishioners asked, “Do you find it hard after coming back to the states to go back to Africa?” The missionary said, “Not at all. In fact, I find it disgusting to see all of this materialism. In Africa, every family wakes up not knowing where their next meal is coming from. I see their profound faith in God’s ability to provide for them daily. And when God brings the provision, they praise Him!”

Question: So why do we, especially as Christians, lapse into worrying when we should know better than that?

Answer #2: We have “little faith” in God’s ability to take care of us in our situations. It’s as if our God is too small to handle our needs and circumstances. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Jesus wants us to know that He never intends for worry to steal our peace in Him. We can see that worry and “the peace that surpasses all human understanding” can’t co-exist. If we find ourselves being anxious or worried, it’s because we haven’t given them to God through prayer. It signals that our trust is no longer on Christ’s ability to take care of us. Our faith in Him has waned.

Let’s remember God’s Word to us:

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” (Isa 26:3-4) 

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27) 

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thess 3:16)

Blessings,

Lee Ann